NORTH Ayrshire Council’s newest housing development – built by modular construction specialist Connect Modular – has been officially opened by provost Anthea Dickson.
The new homes at Afton Court, Stevenston, replace former sheltered housing complexes in the town. The £1.34 million development, supported by £0.66 million of Scottish Government funding, has seen the creation of six new amenity bungalows built using ‘cutting-edge and environmentally-friendly’ techniques.
The homes were built in sections offsite by Ayrshire firm Connect Modular – part of the Wee House Group – before being assembled on site.
Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for green environment and economy at North Ayrshire Council, said, “This is a significant development for us in a number of ways. Not only will it provide wonderful new town centre homes for our residents, but it is also another step on the way to our ambitious target of building more than 1,600 new homes across North Ayrshire. We are more than halfway towards that target with almost 900 new homes completed.
“While all our new homes are built with the climate crisis in mind, the Afton Court development goes a step further and saw the developers, Connect Modular, employ their innovative approach which is mindful of the environment and cuts down on waste. The bungalows were built in a controlled factory environment using sustainable practices, helping to reduce waste and energy required.
“The modern, energy-efficient homes have enhanced building insulation, air-source heat pumps and solar photovoltaic panels. We’re extremely proud of this development and are delighted with the feedback we’ve received so far from tenants.”
Richard Reid, acting CEO at Connect Modular, added, “We are delighted to have partnered with North Ayrshire Council in the design, construction, and delivery of these amenity bungalows at Afton Court, Stevenston. Our modular construction methods were instrumental in minimising disruption to the community that closely surrounds the compact urban infill site.
“Furthermore, with volatile weather conditions, we were able to bring programme stability through constructing modules in our protected environment, as well as the inherent quality enhancements associated with volumetric construction.”
All bungalows were constructed inside Connect Modular’s Ayrshire-based manufacturing facility with kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and electrics all pre-fitted before the different sections were assembled on site.
